Finding Her Mission in the Messes Of The Past
RichLife Story #18: Elise Adams
Last month we took the entire month to talk about wise stewardship and what role it plays in our success – business, personal, and financial. Wise stewardship is an understanding of our role and our responsibility when it comes to the challenges and the blessings that we have been given.
It is how you choose to respond to those challenges and how you care for those blessings that determine whether or not you will succeed.
Today’s story is a real-life example of wise stewardship in action. For those of you who still think life circumstance and other people are responsible for what you can and cannot achieve, I’d like to introduce you to a remarkable young woman:
Once homeless, physically abused, and totally addicted, Elise Adams now lives a fulfilled, RichLife centered around her beautiful family and supportive husband.
But before you read Elise's story, I want to extend a very special invitation to you to join me and my co-host, Joy Allgood, on the RichLife Show this Saturday at 12:00 pm EST. Elise has very graciously agreed to update us with all the things that have happened since she last spoke with us!! You will be STUNNED when you hear what she has to tell us!
In the last 5 years, Elise has managed to do what most would consider impossible: to completely turned her life around. She did it the hard way, one baby-step at a time. She is one of the few people who has lived through the things that she teaches and coaches. And you can listen to her amazing story HERE as aired live on the RichLife radio show on New Year's Eve!.
“You are so right about it being our response that we are in charge of, not the events that happen to us. I’ve definitely been through a whole bunch of events that could have ended me, my life, or ended with me in a really bad place. But thanks to my determination and the grace of God, it has ended blessing my life. . .
Remember Point #3? God Provides. We never know the how or the when, but opportunities happen. When they do, it is up to us to take advantage of them.
“About 5 years ago I was actually homeless, vagabonding across the US in an abusive relationship. It was sort of the bottom –if you are familiar with that term – of a long history of really difficult events and circumstances. I was raised in a really abusive home and ended up with a prescription pill addiction in my early 20’s. I also ended up with a blessing – my 2 beautiful daughters. Through a series of what can only be described as a direct intervention from God, this person I was in an unfortunate relationship with was arrested, one week after my youngest daughter was born, and I was set free.”
Elise saw her opportunity to take control of her life again. But how did she get from this place of chaos to the good life that she enjoys now?
“The first baby step I took was getting really honest. Asking myself, where am I at? It was a pretty painful discovery. I arrived back to my hometown with nothing. I had to humble myself and get a lot of feedback from people who had been successful at crawling out from similar situations. For the next 3 or 4 years, I had to relearn – sort of like a person who has been in an accident – I had to learn how to walk again. I had to learn the basics of life, how to show up every day, how to have a different response. In my case, I had to learn the hard way and go through some of those really earth shaking events to really wake up and grow up.”
We are all called to be good stewards. The RichLife makes sense to a lot of people. But for those of you who are in a tough place, you wonder, how do I live a RichLife when I am not yet where I want to be?
“For me, it was a life or death situation. I just couldn’t limp along any longer. I had to get honest really fast, because I wasn’t willing to pass along the chaos that had become life, on to my little girls.”
When we practice wise stewardship, we are given more of the blessings we take care of.
“All my investments are in family. Here I have this amazing husband, and I always say that God picked him because my picker was broken. It’s an incredible blessing to be in my mid 30’s and have everything that money can’t buy.
After everything I’ve been through, this is not necessarily where I might have ended up.
And what’s also amazing is all the bridges I burned have been healed. I’ve experienced healing with my mother, and my father, and my older daughter who is 17. I firmly believe in the power of transformation.”
Good Stewardship Gives Peace of Mind. We are all given blessings. These blessings are never ours to keep, but rather, we are allowed to serve as their keepers for a short period of time.
When you practice wise stewardship, your question changes from,
“How will I get more money,” to, “How can I best serve?”
Your worries change from, “having enough” to
“doing enough to live out my life purpose and mission”
This is another way that we are called to be good stewards: by living the mission we have been called here to do. We all have unique giftings and talents.
“I have to say that I am literally grateful for all the bad things, for all of the messes of my past, because they have allowed me to discover my mission today: To touch lives. To inspire people. No matter the difficulty you are experiencing, life can have the happy ending you may have given up on.”
We asked Elise: “What do you say to the person out there now who might be where you were 5 years ago?
“My first bit of advice is always to not give up. As you say, it is so easy when you’ve had adversity with a capital A to not focus on your goals and your dreams. But if you’re a late bloomer like me, then it takes a few hard knocks to get things through. I always remind myself:
Incomplete successes are not failures. Every baby step counts. Even if it feels like we’re going back over the same ground again and again, we’re still learning!”
You can find Elise at www.adamsorganizing.com to learn more about her mindset, mentoring, and coaching programs. She personally responds to every email, so if this story has been of help to you, let her know!
Elise Adams has served clients and audiences across the United States as the NewLife Recovery Coach, offering common-sense inspiration and transforming truths that she's gathered from over 10+ years of personal recovery. Before formally beginning her coaching business Elise mentored women in recovery through the Christ centered 12-step program Celebrate Recovery. Elise has personally coached dozens of clients through organizing, recovery and personal challenges since starting Adams Organizing in the Summer of 2010. These clients report that Elise's approach transforms their confusion to clarity and their chaos to order with her empathetic and powerful perspective. As one listener puts it: "Elise is brutally honest in a raw and heart-warming way." Another says: "Elise is one of those few people who has gone through a very difficult time herself. Now, she is more than ready to help others."
You and Elise make a powerful inspirational force! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing Elise's story. It's so powerful and so inspiring!
Such a moving story. I truly believe that we go through difficult times to learn then share what will help other peple going through the same things. Inspiring!
The LEARNED Preneur @ NormaDoiron.NET
You are absolutely right: every baby step counts!
Elise and her story are certainly powerful and inspiring. And this post is pack with valuable truth. I especialy love the statement:
When you practice wise stewardship, your question changes from,
“How will I get more money,” to, “How can I best serve?”
Your worries change from, “having enough” to
“doing enough to live out my life purpose and mission”